The present application is directed to imaging devices and methods thereof. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provides a portable data device with that is capable of capturing location information and capable of wirelessly connecting to one or more imaging devices. The portable data device is configured to, among other things, associate location information and/or other information with images and/or or videos captured by imaging devices. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a portable data device that includes, among other things, location module, a wireless interface, a battery, a user interface, and a controller module for coordinating operations of various components. There are other embodiments as well.
Over the last few decades, the use of digital imaging devices proliferated. Pocket-sized digital cameras and digital SLRs gradually replaced traditional filmed based cameras. In addition, various types of electronics have incorporated imaging modules. For example, cellular phones, MP3 players, computers, and many other types of devices have the ability to capture images and/or videos.
As digital images and videos become more and more popular, their uses extended. Traditionally, images were captured by film, developed in dark rooms, and printed on photographic papers. With advent of digital imaging, more and more pictures are digitally captured and shared online. Moreover, online sharing of images and/or videos are not limited to the sharing these images and/or videos themselves. Often, it is desirable to share information associated with the shared images and/or videos. For example, it is a desirable to have images embedded with location information. Online photo sharing websites, where location information is available, can display images and their corresponding locations on maps.
Image capture devices existing today typically have limited ability to embed information into digitally captured images and/or videos. For example, information such as date, exposure data, and others, can be embedded into images. Unfortunately, the ability of image capture devices for embedding information is limited, by both hardware and software. For example, it is often desirable to have location information embedded into images at the time of image capture, but most cameras lack the required hardware modules for location capturing (e.g., GPS receivers). In addition, most cameras lack hardware that allows users to conveniently enter information. For example, to enter a text string associated with an image, a user often has to go through a long and burdensome process to enter one letter at a time.
Therefore, it is desirable to have improved data module systems that are configured to embed information into images and/or videos.